British songwriter/artist Kate Bush sings of a woman, a lost dog and Lake Tahoe

New up on NPR's All Songs Considered is a review of "50 Words for Snow" by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush and the release of the song "Eider Falls at Lake Tahoe" a shortened version of an 11-minute song about a woman and a lost dog.
Known for her surreal landscapes and metaphysical journeys, Bush's music can be serene, beautiful and haunting. Her career spans a 35-year panorama, having worked with many artists and progressive musicians including Peter Gabriel and David Gilmour.

NPR's Dan Raby calls "50 Words for Snow" Bush's "most stark and stripped-down." He writes:

The album was the aural equivalent of a single line of footsteps in a snowy pasture. It's no wonder then that Bush, who has always been skilled at pairing her music with their equivalent visuals, turned away from her trademark cinematics for the video of her song, "Lake Tahoe."

In the album version of "Lake Tahoe," only quiet strings and a piano accompany Bush as she weaves a tale of an old dog dreaming of his owner. And while the full song explains the animal's true situation, Bush — who directed the video herself — has trimmed it down into a more ambiguous excerpt here.

Here are the lyrics to the song:

Lake Tahoe
Cold mountain water
Don't ever swim there
Just stand on the edge and look in there
And you might see a woman down there
They say some days, up she comes, up she rises, as if out of nowhere
Wearing Victorian dress.
She was calling her pet, "Snowflake! Snowflake!"
Tumbling like a cloud that has drowned in the lake
Just like a poor, porcelain doll...
Her eyes are open but no-one's home
The clock has stopped
So long she's gone
No-one's home
Her old dog is sleeping
His legs are frail now
But when he dreams,
He runs...
Along long beaches and sticky fields
Through the Spooky Wood looking for her
The beds are made. The table is laid
The door is open - someone is calling: It's a woman
"Here boy, here boy! You've come home!
I've got an old bone and a biscuit and so much love
Miss me? Did you miss me?
Here's the kitchen - There's your basket
Here's the hall - That's where you wait for me
Here's the bedroom - You're not allowed in there
Here's my lap - That's where you lay your head
Here boy, oh you're a good boy
You've come home
You've come home

For more go to the website www.katebush.com or her Facebook page here.

Other notable Kate Bush songs include:

— Running Up That Hill, 1985, Hounds of Love.

— Cloudbusting, 1985, from Hounds of Love.

— Love and Anger, 1990, The Sensual World.